Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

I welcome the moving of the writ by the Government in respect of the Kildare by-election. It has been awaited for far too long. The seat should not have been left vacant since last autumn, which is effectively what has taken place. The shenanigans — there is no other word that can best describe what we have seen over the moving of these writs — show the dire need for reform of electoral legislation. What is appropriate in this instance is that by-elections should be called within a specified period of the vacancies occurring, and that should be enshrined in legislation. It is the responsibility of the party or the Independent group of the departing Deputy in whatever circumstances, but it should be done within a specified period. The idea that this can go on for a protracted period is simply insulting to the electorate and disenfranchises the specific constituency by rendering it less represented here over a protracted period of time.

I ask members of Government and those who will form Government in the future to seriously examine this issue as an aspect of electoral reform and ensure that a specified period is laid down in law. These seats are not the property of the parties or the individuals, they are the property of the electorate in the respective constituencies, and what happened here is simply unacceptable.

If we were to examine the comparison with local government, there can be no doubt in our minds that if a vacancy occurred at local authority level, there would be no such delay. The co-option process, now catered to in local government legislation, would have been employed, enacted and concluded a long time ago.

Regarding the Kildare by-election, it is unlikely at this point that our party will contest it. All candidates going forward are taking up an important role and responsibility. Whatever the outcome, I hope the victor will make an important, useful and appreciated contribution in this House.

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